1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus for christening a network having a primary bus and a back-up bus interconnecting a master node and at least one slave node and in particular to a method and apparatus for christening a trainline monitor system having a primary train bus and a back-up train bus interconnecting a primary master node with at least one primary slave node and a back-up master node with at least one back-up slave node, respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
A train communication system is being developed by the assignee of the present application which, based on the proposed European specification DIN 43322 for "Serial Interfaces to Programmable Electronic Equipment for Rail Vehicles," incorporated herein by reference, enables a master node located typically in a head car of a train to communicate via a serial bus to slave nodes on middle cars of the train and on a tail car of the train. See also, "International Standard-Information processing systems-Data communication-High-level data link control elements of procedures, ISO 4335", Third edition, Global Engineering Documents, Irvine, Calif., 1987, the subject matter of which is also incorporated herein by reference.
Part 3 of "Serial Interfaces to Programmable Electronic Equipment For Rail Vehicles," June 1988, Section 4.2.4 discloses a method and apparatus for christening or initializing a trainline monitor system. Appendix A in part 3 discusses one approach to christening a trainline monitor system using a serial bus to interconnect a master node with slave nodes on the trainline monitor system. However, the process disclosed in the reference only allows for a train bus master (master node) to be at one of the ends of the train and not, for example, to operate in the middle of the train or to push rather than to pull a train. Furthermore, the reference does not discuss how to christen a trainline monitor system which has redundant train buses interconnecting redundant master nodes with redundant slave nodes.